F355 on the track?

As a second question, if I may. I have a F355 Spider and wanted to know if anyone knows the rules of taking it on the track? It does not have roll bars, and I read somewhere about the broom test. It does not pass that test. Does this only apply to competition? What about open track days?

Thanks,

 

Welcome to Fchat!
You should probably post this question in the 355 section.

I got my 355 by trading my Lotus to an individual that wanted to spend more time at the track. IMO, the Lotus is the better track car, the Ferrari is the better street car. I am not saying the 355 is not quick, but all consumables will be more money, and the real up sides to the 355 (the beauty and the sound) are lost to you on the track. The opposite is true of the Lotus, where it really comes alive on track. If you are buying it as a track car, you could consider a challenge car. Keep in mind that a routine engine out service on a 355 is about the same money as a new Elise motor. An Elise tranny is $1800, a 355 tranny is probably $18,000.

I had an '07 Exige S, and its feel on track was the closest thing I have experienced to my Lola Formula Ford. That's one opinion anyway.

 

Some events will allow 355s and 348s on track, usually in no-passing or pace car situations. Everything in life is a risk, and driving one on the street is certainly more dangerous than on track. But you wouldn't want to be in one that goes upside down.

 

I tracked my 95 F355 at Road America for the first time a month ago and it was a great track car. You have to be willing to really rev the motor-- keeping it above 6000rpm at all times and reving out to 8500rpm. I kept it in 3rd and 4th gear the whole track for two days and then drove it two hours home. I don't think these cars are as delicate as most people think.

 

I have nearly 5,000 track miles on my F355B. I routinely run down and pass 360s with F1 and r-compound tires while doing this with street tires (S03s) and M6 tranny. Until you get within a couple of seconds of the lap record its all about the driver and little about the car.

The F355B has been quite reliable as a track car (for me). Leave the suspension alone, and learn to drive the car on street tires. There are a couple of reasons for this. A; you will learn faster on streets, B: if you get into trouble you will get in with less energy, C: streets are easier on brakes, D: cost is a lot lower than r-compounds and vastly lower than slicks. Driving a F355 at 10/10s is about learning how to always keep the nose in front of the line the car is traversing.

Make sure the oil is fully warmed up before using big doses of throttle. Be sure to have fresh fluid in the brake system, and after you consume the first set of pads, you might want to consider something a little more track worthy (Ferrodo, Pagid,...). Do not put power through the clutch while it is in the friction zone. I have all of these 5K miles and 34K street miles on a single clutch (with no sign of giving out).

 

I don't think it feels heavy at all but I have never driven a Lotus. I think if is very nimble. My only complaint is the steering is somewhat light and vague at speed, but not in the corners.

 

I have been tracking a 355 Ch for about three years now. I agree with Mitch Alsup. Just make sure the car is well sorted before any track event. I would have all new fluids and track brake pads. I would start with street tires with the correct hot temps. Don't mess with the setup. The handling on the car is very predictable. The car will let you know were the limit is. That's why its a good idea to start with street tires. The handling is very well balanced and rewards the driver for driving at the limit.
The only thing I would add to Mitch Alsup's comments are you should have a roll bar, fire suppression system and racing belts. It's worth every penny! I have never driven a Lotus, but I think the 355 will seem heavy to you. Once you learn to drive it, it's going to be a lot of fun. And BTW more expensive then a Lotus to maintain.

Here is a video of me having fun with my 355!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcBpqLru298

 

I have had a 355 B and Lotus Elise. The Elise is way better on track in every respect except top speed on longer straights. Much less expensive to track the Elise. And the 355 is gorgeous, but the ergonomics are for orangutans.

The 355 is probablymore durable than most people think, but when it does break, well you might be able to buy an Elise for what it can cost to fix the 355

 

Weight is the killer of ontrack performance. horsepower counters that to a degree. Less weight usually means lower consumption of consumables tires brakes usually means less $ spent. Lotus will be faster IMO than 355. 355 presence and weight on track can be an advantage in a skirmish. Mass is then your friend. 355 and 348 are same chassis. In my old 348 racecar I did reposition the steering column and centralized my seating position to improve my safety system package. I could have gone further and done central seat position and gained many advantages that could not be done in a typical center tunnel car like a front engine rear drive car. 355 has no aftermarket parts source of go fast goodies. Therefore you will have to do 100% of the development and custom make many parts which I have done. I'm racing a Z06 vette now and what a pleasure it is to just buy proven parts right off the shelf! 355 has little wheels and no slicks are available unless you go pirelli or mismatch brands or use DOT race tires. A broken windshield from a rock on track is $1500 bucks in the 355 but only 200 bucks in my vette and it is so much faster. Vette Wheel options and thus slick sizes are unlimited. Vette big brake options are unlimited. You will have no one to race with for the most part yet there are lotus clubs with guys that track all over the country. Because of lotus numbers there are SCCA and NASA classes in racing and auto-x and HPDE. If you run the 355 you will be stuck in somewhere and likely not competative.